


Black and White

by vladamsandler



Category: Bright (2017)
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, bisexual!Nick Jakoby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 00:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13202022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vladamsandler/pseuds/vladamsandler
Summary: Nick comes out as bi to Daryl while on patrol. It’s an awkward, yet affectionate conversation.I don’t really ship Nick/Daryl but if you choose to read this that way, I don’t mind.





	Black and White

 

Nick’s ear flicks nervously and he grips the steering wheel a bit tighter. The unit radio has never been so quiet.

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

“It’s... not like that.”

Daryl levels a flat look from the passenger seat. “What’s the issue.”

They roll to a stop at an intersection and Nick looks out the window, feeling cornered.

“C’mon man, just talk to her. Listen, it’s not that hard. Just ask her if she wants to grab a cup of coffee with you or somethin’.” Daryl smiles at Nick’s blatant discomfort. The shy blush on the orc’s face seems so out of place in his speckled complexion and gruesome visage.

“There’s coffee at the station.”

Daryl scoffs. “Okay, brunch then. Or whatever the fuck you orcs like to do. Y’all have teatime like hobbits or some shit?” He’s kept up the act of cynicism and biting quips with his not-friend ever since that fateful night brought them closer than either were willing to admit. The light turns green and he smirks as the car jumps forward.

“You know, I appreciate it, Daryl, but it’s really none of your concern.” Nick huffs through his nose and presses his mouth into a straight line.

“Alright, alright. Take it easy...” Daryl shakes his head and smiles out the window for a minute or two. “...You’re shy, I get that. You know it’s okay for orcs to be shy, right?”

Nick sighs exasperatedly.

“Even big, burly, blooded orcs!” Daryl playfully smacks Nick’s arm who determinedly ignores him with a frown of disapproval. “C’mon, what’s her name?”

Nick shakes his head. He checks his blindspot and merges into the turn lane to restart their loop.

“Man, I don’t know what your problem is. Any orc lady would be lucky to meet a decorated officer like yourself.” Daryl slouches in his seat, bored with his partner’s reticence.

Nick purses his lips. “Always black and white with you humans...” he mutters.

Daryl rolls his eyes. “How complicated could it be, Nick? You can run into a burning building with a concussion and open wounds, but you can’t muscle up the nerve to even speak to a pretty orc woman?”

Nick’s filed tusks peek out as he clenches his teeth. “Never said it was an orc,” he mutters.

Daryl raises his eyebrows. “A’ight... that’s fair. But I know plenty of human women who shack up with your kind. Some of ‘em can see past the whole...” he awkwardly waves his hand around, gesturing vaguely to his face with a grimace.

Nick side-eyes the implication and cocks his head with a frown. They slowly roll to a stop at another light. “Never said it was a woman.”

Daryl’s eyebrows shoot up again and his mouth falls open. “Oh.” He clears his throat. “Right.” He clears his throat again and sits up properly in the seat with a sniff. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that... That’s fine.”

Nick blushes. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“Aye man, I ain’t got nothing against it. Y’all do your thing... It’s cool.” Daryl scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, wishing he hadn’t pushed the topic. There’s some things he’s perfectly happy not knowing about his coworkers. He begrudgingly admits to himself that his _not-friend_ is more than just a coworker to him now.

The men sit in silence for a few minutes.

“So he, uh, got a name? Do I know him?” Daryl mulls what must’ve taken a lot of trust for Nick to confide in him about. He‘s never heard of a gay orc before, doubtful it’s safe in any community for an orc to be open about something like that.

“No, you don’t know him.” Nick gives up hope of a call coming through to save him from this conversation. It was going to happen eventually. Daryl’s the only real friend he has. He can’t keep such a large part of his identity hidden away forever. He sighs, “It’s not a big deal.”

“Well, maybe he feels the same way. You never know.” Daryl looks out the window, trying to figure out how to navigate the rest of this conversation. He misses the look of incredulity Nick throws him.

“I don’t even know what gave you the impression that I wanted to pursue this in the first place. It’s not appropriate to entertain in a work environment anyway.”

“Ah, give it a break, will you, Jakoby? Asking a coworker out for a coffee ain’t exactly harassment.”

“Yeah, coming from someone like you.” Nick quirks an eyebrow and looks Daryl up and down.

“What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?”

Nick shakes his head. “Incredible. You humans never cease to amaze me. Black and white, I tell ya.” He steals a bitter glance at his partner and continues. “Do you even realize the thin ice I walk on around there? Those people don’t give a shit about medals. They’ll never accept me for who I am. They don’t even accept me for who they _think_ I am.”

“Man, they ain’t all like that...” Daryl rubs his neck guiltily, hearing the hollowness of his own words. Nick’s right and he knows it. There’s nothing really he can say.

They drive in silence for another minute or so. Nick switches the police radio off and then back on again, testing its function with a sigh. He flips on some orc music and Daryl promptly flips it back off.

“So anyway, you got a type?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know,” Daryl gestures with his left hand, “tall... short... buff... scrawny... pointed ears? Everyone’s got a type.”

“No, I don’t have a type.” Nick’s unsure if he feels more uncomfortable with the topic or relieved that he finally has someone to open up to about this after so long.

“So, when male orcs... the, uh, teeth don’t get in the way when you, uh, you know...” Daryl grimaces again and flicks two fingers up and down in front of his mouth.

Nick laughs. “You know orc women have tusks too, right? Besides, I’m not just... exclusively into, uh, men. So, no.”

“Oh! Okay. Right. No type. Got it.” Daryl clears his throat and crosses his arms with a nod.

The radio suddenly buzzes and a voice barks out numbers over the line.

“Oh, thank god,” they say in unison as they both reach for the receiver. Daryl is faster, and he responds to the call as Nick flips on the siren and lights. He peels off in the direction of the coordinates.

Nick breathes a sigh of relief with the return of the comfort of duty. “Thank you,” he says quietly without looking away from the road.

Daryl smiles and shakes his head. He knows what Nick means. Unprejudiced acceptance for something so, ultimately, inconsequential is the least he can do for the orc who saved his life. “Aye, man, anytime. You be you.” He slips on his sunglasses and the topic melts away into the thrill of their task as they rip down the streets of downtown L.A.

 


End file.
